Page 64 - A History of the World in 25 Cities
P. 64
60
Life in
The beautiful island capital of the Aztecs, Tenochtitlán, now lies beneath today’s Mexican capital, Mexico City. Yet 500 years ago, before Europeans set foot
in Tenochtitlán, city life had many similarities as well as some huge differences.
By 1519, perhaps as many as 300,000 people lived in Tenochtitlán. The closer to the city
centre a person or family lived, the more important they were. Grand two-storey houses were for nobles and important warriors, while
ordinary people lived in one-storey houses – any more than one floor and the punishment was death!
Unlike European cities at the time, where people emptied chamber pots into the streets, thousands of enslaved people and servants were employed
to keep Tenochtitlán clean. Fresh water was carried into the city by two aqueducts, public steam rooms and toilets were built in every neighbourhood, and poo was carried by canoe
to the fields to be used as fertiliser.
There were separate schools for boys and girls, and also for ordinary and noble children. Girls’ education concentrated on looking after the home, while a young Aztec boy might grow up to become a farmer, a trader or a warrior. All children were also taught about religion, and some grew up to become priests and priestesses.
In NuMbers
Size of modern Mexico City:
Size of Tenochtitlán:
